


The Invitation(s)

by NerdsLikeUs



Category: Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party, Shipwrecked Comedy
Genre: F/M, for the Poe Party fanfic contest, pretty fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-22 23:35:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6097591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdsLikeUs/pseuds/NerdsLikeUs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annabel receives her invitation(s) to Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery invite-only casual Dinner Party/Gala (Potluck).</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Invitation(s)

**Author's Note:**

> "How many of these should we send to Annabel, do you think? ... I'm running out of ravens."

_Tap. Tap ta-tap tap. SCREEEEECH._  
“Ravens!” cried Annabel. “Why, oh why so many ravens?”  
She stood up and approached the window. For the fifteenth time today, a raven sat on her windowsill with a scroll of paper tied to its leg. Sighing, Annabel lifted open the window and let the bird hop inside. It _caw caw_ -ed again, and she shushed it impatiently.  
“What is it now?” she asked the raven as she untied the paper from its leg. “Honestly, how many poems can one man possibly write?”  
But, as Annabel discovered as she unrolled the parchment, this was something different.  
_Edgar Allen Poe_  
_invites you to_  
_Edgar Allen Poe’s_  
_Murder Mystery_  
_Invite-Only Casual_  
_Dinner Party/Gala_  
_for friends_  
_(Potluck)_  
Annabel raised her eyebrows, and said to the bird, “An invitation. And a terribly worded one, at that.”  
The raven, of course, didn’t reply. It tilted its head and blinked at her with one, round, clear black eye.  
Then suddenly, birds. Dozens and dozens of ravens, screeching and flapping and cawing, flooded through Annabel’s open window. She screamed and ducked, throwing her arms over her head as they soared past her into the room. Bickering and agitating, they landed everywhere, on chairs and shelves and Annabel’s desk. In minutes, the room was more black bird than any other colour. Breathing heavily, Annabel straightened gingerly and brushed fallen feathers off her head and dress.  
The study door banged opened and Eddie entered. “Annabel!” he exclaimed. “Are you alright? I heard screaming!” He paused, taking in the sight of a room full of ravens. “Uh … more poems?” He looked less than pleased.  
Annabel smiled and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “No,” she said. “They’re invitations, actually. To a dinner party!”  
Eddie said nothing. He folded his arms and appraised the many, many, many ravens that currently filled the study.  
“You – you don’t want to go?” she asked in a small voice.  
“Go to a dinner party with a man who is in love with you?” said Eddie, raising his eyebrows. “Who sends you hundreds of love poems – and _ravens_ – and refuses to accept that you do not love him in return?” He huffed a laugh. “No, I think not.”  
Lowering her eyes, Annabel swallowed her upset. “Of course. Yes, of course, you're right.”  
Eddie approached her. “That’s true, isn’t it, Annabel?” he asked. “You do not return his feelings?”  
Annabel thought of a moustache and a strong nose and a particularly fine birthday cravat. She thought of poems and words that rhymed with her name, of the way his voice smiled when he spoke to her. She thought of the flutter in her stomach that she always got when she saw a raven at her window. She thought of how she always ignored it.  
She laughed lightly and met Eddie’s eyes. “Yes, it’s true. But I believe Lenore is helping him to organise the party, and she is my friend. And,” she said, taking a breath, “Edgar is my friend too. So I would like to go.”  
Eddie hesitated for a brief moment before grinning broadly and taking her hands. “Well, then!” he exclaimed. “We must go. If it will make you happy, of course we shall go.”  
Annabel smiled her brightest smile, and swung their joined hands. Eddie bounced slightly on the balls of his feet, as though he gained such excitement from the thought of making her happy that he could not contain it.  
Later, as Annabel sent the ravens out of her window, she thought about blue eyes and dark curls and sparkling teeth. She thought of a man so excitable he matched her own delight at life, and the two of them dancing for so long that her feet went numb and her side ached from laughter.  
As the last raven was leaving, it paused on her windowsill once more. She smiled at it and said, “He really is a great guy.”  
It blinked at her slowly, with one clear black eye, as though it could see the secret behind her words.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so excited for this series! Thanks for reading, comments and feedback always appreciated :)


End file.
